Dugger's victory signals an end to Garrett's long tenure

Llezelle Dugger won the Democratic nomination Saturday for clerk of Charlottesville Circuit Court, ousting 30-year incumbent Paul C. Garrett.

Dugger’s victory signals an end to Garrett’s long tenure as clerk and new leadership in the office responsible for court dockets and the handling of wills, land transfers, legal guardianships, marriage licenses and other administrative matters.

The margin of victory was overwhelming, with Dugger earning roughly 62 percent of the vote in a three-person race. Garrett earned roughly 26 percent, while a second challenger, Pam Melampy, earned roughly 12 percent.

Dugger, 42, said she was shocked when she first heard the results of the caucus, but after the news sunk in, it was “pure excitement.” She chalked up her victory to a combination of a solid campaign platform and hardworking volunteers.

“I think the customer service was a big issue, making sure that the next step is taken at the clerk’s office so that folks who come in are helped. Part and parcel of that is getting records online,” Dugger said. “I think getting that message across was part of what happened, but I have to say I just had a great crew of folks out there spreading the word. And that’s how we won it.”

No non-Democratic candidates are running for the position, and the deadline to file for candidacy is Tuesday. Barring a last-minute entry into the race, Dugger is poised to run unopposed in the Nov. 8 general election.

On Sunday, Garrett, 65, praised the hard work of his supporters and campaign volunteers.

“I want to thank them for all that they did,” Garrett said.

Garrett said he congratulated Dugger upon hearing the result, but he declined to comment further on the election or what his next move might be.

“I’m not going to say anything about that at this time,” Garrett said. “Some statement will be made later. I just want to focus on the immediate matters right now and see what happens.”

Dugger, a city School Board member and assistant public defender, was one of two challengers running against Garrett. The other was Melampy, a deputy clerk in the Albemarle County Circuit Court who previously worked in the Charlottesville General District Court.

All three candidates for the clerk’s office were at Burley Middle School, where the caucus was held, to hear the results announced in the wee hours of Sunday morning. Garrett left the school shortly after hearing the news.

“I take my hat off to him,” Dugger said. “I want to thank him for his 30-plus years of service to the clerk’s office. He ran a classy campaign all the way to the end. He gave me a very warm hug after we heard the news.”

A Charlottesville native and graduate of the University of Virginia law school, Garrett was first appointed to the clerk’s office in 1981 following the death of longtime clerk Carl Hennrich. Prior to becoming the clerk of court, Garrett served four-and-a-half years as an assistant city attorney for Charlottesville and four years as a judge advocate with the U.S. Air Force.

In 2006, Garrett was appointed by his peers to serve as president of the Virginia Court Clerks’ Association, a statewide professional organization of circuit court clerks.

Garrett has come under fire from critics in recent years for his stewardship of the clerk’s office.

In 2007, the state Compensation Board pulled $52,280 that had been set aside for a local land-records database after finding that Garrett falsely claimed that his office’s records were already online.

That same year, the attorney for a woman who was held in jail for a whole month after she could have been released blamed the clerk’s office for failing to provide a public document despite numerous requests.

Garrett was last up for re-election in 2003, when he handily defeated Democratic challenger Vanessa E. Hicks.

The clerk is elected to an eight-year term.